Twin Powers Activated with Team Sparkle

Ever since we were kids, we loved to sparkle!

Today, we LOVE Team Sparkle skirts!

Our first sparkle skirt that we fought over constantly! ;-)

We wear yellow "Team Sparkle" for Alex's Lemonade!

Leah in Gunmetal = running FAST!

Leah in Purple "Team Sparkle" at Princess Half Marathon!

Malinda in Pink for Valentine's Day Race!

Leah, Annalivia and friends, too!

Zoe in Purple for Run for Babies 5K!

Malinda (or Leah?) in our first sparkle skirt!

Leah in Green in memory of GG!

What is your favorite  color?

Is it Malinda or Leah in the vintage sparkle photo? 

:-)

Random Shuffle + Grief + Graditude = #GGPlaylist (July 23)

Blue Monday & #GGPlaylist

A week ago, on Monday, July 16, our grandma "GG" died from cancer. We are still grieving her loss, but we keep running in her honor and in her memory.

She always had great sense of humor & her spirit is still with me on my #run! #randomplay shuffle songs = #ggplaylist! #irun4gg #runchat #runhappy



Follow @MalindaAnnHill & @LeahCville on Twitter & Instagram as we train for our next race 2gether - the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 7! @TwinsRun for @AlexsLemonade Stand Foundation for #ChildhoodCancer in Memory of Michael & GG. Any donation is greatly appreciated! Thank you for all your support! And, if you are running in memory of a loved one, please let us know. We'd love to support you, too!

Minnie Mouse, Mickey Mouse & Marathon Mom Malinda

2012 Disney's Princess Half Marathon

Are you running runDisney's...

Disneyland Half Marathon

Tower of Terror 10 Miler

Tinker Bell Half Marathon

Have you registered for runDisney's...

Wine and Dine Half Marathon

20th Anniversary Walt Disney World Marathon

Walt Disney World Half Marathon

Princess Half Marathon

Are you going to complete runDisney's...

Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge

Coast to Coast Race Challenge

We will run...

Goofy's Race and a Half Challenge

5th Annual Princess Half Marathon

In memory of...

Michael Connor 

Aileen O'Connor Hill

"Fighting childhood cancer, one race at at time"

Any donation is greatly appreciated!

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation 

Let Them Eat Cake (After a Race)!

by Leah Connor

The first thing I normally want after running a race is an ice cold Diet Coke. And then, soon after, I'm heading towards the nearest Starbucks for a non-fat no whip white mocha. But when I finished the Fairview 5K on Saturday, I saw something I don't think I've ever seen at a post-race celebration: CAKE!

And, oh was it GOOD! It didn't matter that there weren't any forks. Another runner and I dove in without hesitation, using our fingers as utensils. The woman slicing up the cakes thought it was a bit crazy for us to eat cake after running, but I have a sweet tooth and no self control, so I helped myself to a slice of the 1/2 chocolate, 1/2 vanilla indulgence (pictured on the bottom left).

During the awards ceremony (where I won the grab bag prize of "Training Aids" from Freestyle, ok, can someone tell me what those are?!), I went back for the strawberry filled cake (top left). YUM!!! And then I went back for some more (the ceremony went on for awhile and like I said, I have no self control!). I only wish I would have tried the chocolate cake before it was gone!

Although I was the 7th woman overall (and believe me, at the turn around, I started counting bobbing ponytails to see what place I was in!), I didn't win my age group. WAH! I must admit that it's a little disappointing when I don't win anything because I do like to hear my name called. I guess I can't help but enjoy the 3 seconds in the spotlight and a public validation of all my hard training, not to mention the swag!

I absolutely LOVE that Ragged Mountain Running Shop (RMRS) supports all these local not-for-profit charity races and supplies such amazing awards prizes. Of course, maybe it wouldn't hurt to spread the AG award wealth a bit. I probably have enough RMRS t-shirts and sweatshirts that I could wear a different one every day for two weeks! Ha!

So this is a clear lesson in: "It's all about who shows up." Yesterday, all the fast 40-44 year olds came out and even though I met my time goal of 23:15 (see my previous post), it wasn't quite good enough. In contrast, last year I ran 13 seconds slower, but came in 3rd overall.

I wore my Green Team Sparkle Skirt in honor of my grandma, Aileen O'Connor Hill, who died unexpectedly on Monday. I loved her Irish spirit!

Pre-Race (love the timer on the Camera+ app for my iPhone!)

Close to the Finish


Click on my link for my obsessive analysis of 5 years of the Fairview 5K.

"To be in your child's memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today"

Mom & Dad

GG

"To be in your child's memories tomorrow,

You have to be in their lives today"

Thank you mom & dad, for continuing to be in our lives.

We love you mom & dad.

Thank you GG, for being in our lives.

We love & miss you GG.

Will 2nd 1/2 of 2012 be Faster 1/2 for Faster 1/2 of TWINS RUN?

A look back at 2012 so far ... will the 2nd Half of 2012 be the Faster Half for the Faster Half of TWINS RUN)
By Leah Connor

Wow, 2012 is more than 1/2 over, but what a year it's been! I've PR'd in 5 distances this year - the mile, 5K, 10 miles, half-marathon, and marathon. The marathon PR of 3:38:04 means the most to me because my 2nd fastest time was more than 4 years ago (March 2008 - 3:54:47).

You'd think I'd be ready for a break, but I still haven't met all my goals for 2012. I'm eager to try for a PR in the 10K (Pepsi 10K) and 4 miles (Women's Four Miler). I'd also like to improve my mile and 2-mile times, though I'm not sure I'll have the opportunity. Below is a collage of some of my favorite racing photos this year as well as best times and goals.

"GG" . . . Our Grief & Gratitude

“Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive.”

Still crying and missing you, GG...

Andrew (dad), Malinda, Elizabeth (mom), Michelle (cousin), GG, Andrew (nephew), Mary (niece)

“I know for certain that we never lose the people we love, even to death. They continue to participate in every act, thought and decision we make. Their love leaves an indelible imprint in our memories. We find comfort in knowing that our lives have been enriched by having shared their love.”

Leo Buscaglia

#IStandUpFor...Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)

“Stand Up To Cancer” Returns to Primetime for its Third Star-Studded Broadcast on September 7th
(Source: http://www.standup2cancer.org/press_release/view/stand_up_to_cancer_returns_to_primetime_for_its_third_star_studded_broadcas)





Oscar®-Winning Actress Gwyneth Paltrow to Executive Produce
with Emmy® Award Winner Joel Gallen
Live, One-Hour Fundraising Event to Air
Commercial-Free Simultaneously On ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and Cable
8:00 PM ET and PT / 7:00 PM CT
www.standup2cancer.org | facebook.com/su2c | Twitter: @SU2C |
Tune-in: http://youtu.be/7O_P_Fr4S1E

Don't expect to get faster every time you race, year after year...

 
Don't expect to get faster every time you race, year after year...

by Leah Connor

There are 8 races that I've run consecutively for at least 4 years. Of those, only one, Disney's Princess Half Marathon, did I improve my time each and every year.

You can't always expect to lower your finish time every chance you toe the starting line. Some days you might feel a bit off - from either overtraining or undertraining, something you ate, a recent illness, or the weather. I hit PRs back in 2008 and then struggled for 2-3 years wondering if that's the best I'd ever do. I didn't give up. I kept plugging along and finally started seeing some serious improvement in 2011 and 2012.

I've learned that it's important to enjoy the race experience and keep challenging yourself without always chasing a PR.

For instance, there are other ways to improve besides your finish time. Even if you don't run your fastest time, you can still improve your ranking. Last weekend, on an extremely hot and humid morning, I ran a 10K over 2 minutes slower than the previous year, but I still came in 1st in my age group rather than 2nd. Talk about a silver lining!

Another option - practice running a smarter race, even if it doesn't necessarily translate into a PR. Instead of going all out from the start, try running much slower than you normally would the first mile so you can run negative splits (each mile faster than the previous). Even if you don't run your fastest race, it surely will be one where you feel your best as you cross the finish line!

fastest 2nd fastest Women's Four Miler year time pace 2007 38:06 9:36 2008 29:45 7:30 2009 30:44 7:43 2010 30:10 7:35 2011 28:44 7:10 2012 goal 28:27! 7:07 Fairview 5K year time pace 2008 23:17 7:31 2009 25:23 8:12 2010 24:04 7:46 2011 23:28 7:35 2012 goal 23:15! 7:29 4th of July 5K year time pace 2007 29:21 9:28 2008 23:24 7:33 2009 24:11 7:48 2010 24:19 7:51 2011 23:03 7:26 2012 23:48 7:41 Martha Jefferson 8K year time pace 2007 42:58 8:40 2008 39:21 7:56 2009 42:15 8:32 2010 41:11 8:19 2011 36:26 7:21 2012 37:08 7:30 Princess Half Marathon year time pace 2009 1:55:40 8:52 2010 1:54:03 8:42 2011 1:43:52 7:56 2012 1:40:02 7:38 2013 goal 1:39:59 7:38 Cherry Blossom Ten Miler year time pace 2008 1:19:03 7:54 2009 1:21:07 8:06 2010 1:21:13 8:07 2011 1:16:36 7:38 2012 1:12:36 7:16 Marine Corps Historic Half year time pace 2008 1:50:02 8:23 2009 1:51:32 8:30 2010 1:46:52 8:09 2011 1:44:39 7:59 2012 1:44:31 7:58 Park to Park Half Marathon 2009 1:58:42 9:03 2010 2:04:06 9:28 2011 1:41:02 7:43 2012 1:45:19 8:02 Turkey Trot* only 3 races so far! 2009 22:47 7:21 2010 24:54 8:02 2011 26:13 8:28 2012 goal 22:46! 7:21